[jambutty]

A Parliament would run for FOUR YEARS.

Party politics has no place in a modern democratic government so each MP would be voted into office on his own personal manifesto. In office the MP would HAVE to vote according to his/her manifesto under pain of permanent expulsion. If a subject being debated in Parliament were not included in a MP’s manifesto that MP would be free to vote as his/her conscience dictates or if the will is there, as his/her constituents decree.

The country would be divided into 300 constituencies of approximately the same number of adult inhabitants.

Any bona fide resident of a constituency would be eligible to put him/herself forward as a candidate providing that s/he met the requirement for being able to vote. That being, residents of a constituency eligible to vote would be 18 years of age or older and a citizen of this country. A citizen of this country is a person who has been born in this country or if born abroad of British parents where one of the parents was a British citizen and the birth was registered at the British Consulate in the country of birth. Immigrants to this country would not be able to vote until they attained British citizenship. Inmates of a prison or those out on licence/parole would not be eligible to vote until the full sentence has expired. Inmates of mental health institutions would not be eligible to vote.

A prospective candidate standing in a general election would in addition to being eligible to vote in that constituency have to be over 21 years of age, without a criminal record and a full time resident in the constituency for a minimum of 3 years.

Each constituency candidate would have to lodge a £5,000 deposit that will be forfeited if that candidate does not gain at least half the number of votes that the runner up receives. The candidate would have to prove that the £5,000 is made up from his/her own money and individual donations. Any donations cannot be more than £100 per person. Donations cannot be from businesses.

Each candidate would be required to fund his/her own election campaign with $5,000 to be deposited in an Election Campaign Fund bank account. The candidate would have to prove that the £5,000 is made up of his/her own money and individual donations. Any donations cannot be more than £100 per person. Donations cannot be from businesses. This £5,000 would be matched three fold (£15,000) from state funds. Any remaining funds after the election would be returned to where they came from pro rata.

Government funds (i.e. taxpayer’s cash) would meet the cost of printing a booklet detailing the candidate’s profile and manifesto and the posting of the booklet to every household in the constituency. Government funds would also meet the cost of each candidate campaigning on local TV, radio and press twice during the election campaign. Government funds would also meet the cost of a candidate hiring a public hall for campaign debates with the constituents on two occasions.

All other campaign expenses, which would be basically travelling expenses and maybe the odd overnight accommodation expense, would have to be met from the Election Campaign Fund.

The election campaign would last 42 days.

After the elections the 300 MP’s would meet in Westminster to elect the Cabinet and Ministers. MP’s would be able to put themselves forward for a specific office including PM and deputy PM and present their case in open session after which all 300 MP’s would vote for their choices.

Government business would be conducted Tuesday to Friday inclusive between 9:00am and 6:00pm or later if the occasion demands leaving the weekends and Mondays free for MP’s constituency matters and a weekend break.

MP’s would NOT BE ALLOWED to have second jobs, consultancies, directorships etc. even for charities. A person cannot serve two masters. As a serving MP, s/he has only one master – his/her constituents.
Overnight accommodation expenses whilst Parliament is sitting (Tues to Fri) would be met from government funds and would be capped.
The cost of running a constituency office would be met from government funds with a limit on staff numbers and staff salaries.
Constituency office staff could not be a direct relative of the MP. That is father, mother, wife or husband, son or daughter, brother or sister.
MP’s holiday entitlement would be the same as hospital medical staff.
MP’s pay would be capped at £290 per day (about £75,000 pa) 5/7 including bank holidays and the days of the holiday entitlement.
The PM’s salary would be £500 per day (about £130,000 pa)
Deputy PM $400 per day (about £104,000 pa)
Cabinet Ministers £350 per day (about £91,000 pa)
Annual salary increases would be tied to the CASH VALUE of a pensioners’ increase. That is if the pension is increased by £5 per week the MP’s increase would be the same – i.e. £1 per day.
MP’s would be obliged to attend Parliament each day that it is in session with certifiable illness or death or on a bona fide holiday as the only excuses for not attending. None attendance without just cause will attract a deduction for that/those day/s.
MP’s would get free rail travel between their constituency and Westminster and overnight accommodation and Parliament.

A second chamber or Upper House would be elected in a similar fashion to MP’s with these differences.
The 120 successful candidates with the most votes after the elected MP from the 300 constituencies would form the Upper Chamber plus 30 Law Lords nominated by the MP’s.

On polling day constituents would be asked to vote for an MP and a representative in the Upper House.

Local government elections would follow a similar pattern to that of electing MP’s.